Despite having a very scantly amount left in my ATM, which I still have to fit in all expenses for the rest of the month, I purchased a Nike+ sportsband. I’ve talked about this device before, but this simple wristwatch-like gadget enables you to track your pacing, time, distance, and calories burned while you walk or run. It doubles as a normal watch too (but I don’t really wear wristwatch).
It is said to be about 90% accurate right out of the box, but it can be calibrated according to personal stats, which could provide even more accuracy. It costs $99.00 and available at most sports shops, and Nike outlets.
What’s in the box.
- Nike+ Sensor (I forgot to take a picture of this, it’s inside my shoes, too lazy to take out. hehe)
- Nike+ sportsband (rubber wristband, and USB receiver)
- Manuals
The Good.
1) It is very simple-looking and light. It looks like just an oversized baller ID with watch. It’s waterproof, which is definitely a must when running on a downpour, or when taking quick showers after an exhaustive training (you’re not supposed to take it in a sauna or steam room though).
2) The accuracy is not bad at 90%, which can be even more accurate once calibrated. The digital display is easy to read, and the buttons (there are only 2) are very simple to use. One button to use to start running, pause, and finish, and another one to toggle between displaying the current time, distance, pace, total for the current run, and calories burned.
3) It is actually a USB device, and you can connect it easily on a computer and sync your runs instantaneously on your Nike+ web account. You have the option to post it on social media accounts via Facebook or Twitter.
4) You can have more than 1 sensor paired with the receiver, and this is good if you have more than one running shoes (and rich enough to get sensors for each of your pairs).
The Bad.
1) First, the price. It’s a little bit on the expensive side in my opinion. At $99.00 (SGD), it is about 3,366.00 (PHP). It is mostly made out of plastic, though it looks durable.
2) Second, you can’t see your speed, but even if there is, I still prefer viewing my pace instead of speed. Speed is a quantity of kilometres that you can cover in an hour, while Pace is a measure of how many minutes it takes you to finish 1 kilometer.
3) A bigger factor for me is, despite the high-contrast display, there is no LED backlight. It is impossible to recognize the readings in the dark, and I can tell you that my eyesight is above average 
4) The timing is done in hours, minutes, and seconds only. Not that I complain much about this, but I guess if it has milliseconds or centiseconds, it would look more professional. Another worth mentioning is that when you have ran for more than an hour, the display will only show you how much hours and minutes has passed. You can’t see details in seconds and this is important for me when taking pauses or drinking. I wanted to measure my rest precisely, say 50 or 60 seconds, while running. Although after the run, total time will include seconds.
5) Because it is mostly pedometer-based, there is no GPS, hence you can’t map your track exactly or see elevations. Also, the sensor has to be placed lying flat inside your shoes, under the insoles of the left pair. I read it would work on other shoes too, but I’m not sure if is would be the same as when you use it with a Nike+ running shoes, which has a small compartment intended for the sensor. The sensor has a limited battery life (over 1000 active hours) which is not replaceable, while the receiver is USB-rechargeable.
The Ugly. When you take out the receiver from the band, you can’t use the band at all, well, fashionably, I guess. It’s not designed to be worn without the USB receiver. I just think it could have been better if they made it in a way that the band would still look in style even without the receiver attached.
Improvements. This is actually a second generation of a similar device from Nike. The first one was reported to have 2 notably serious problems. The LCD being slightly off and hard to read, and the receiver is apparently not properly sealed causing water or sweat to leak inside. Although these malfunctions were corrected in this second version (I tested wearing mine while in the shower, and no leaks), there’s sure room for a lot of improvements. Apart from The Bad and The Ugly sections of this post, it would be better if the Nike+ is delivered with partly charged battery out of the box, making it ready on the fly. The device is totally drained when new. Another thing is that you can only view the last run from the device. A history of the last 10 or 20 trainings is not hard to program I guess. Initially, users have to download the Nike+ application for Windows or Mac, again, it is better if these small programs are inside the USB device already, and automatically installs upon first connection to a computer. The average pace is also not displayed (only the current pace is shown). This is good and necessary if you have a particular target time to finish a distance. And last, although it is not really a thumbdrive memory device, it’s cool if it could act like a Gig or 2 of free data memory.
Who should get it? If you don’t have an iPhone or an Android phone yet, which could be loaded with free GPS-based apps like Runkeeper, this device is neat. But if already have an iPod nano or iTouch, check its compatibility. You could probably use it as a receiver instead of getting the sportsband, but you would still have to get the sensor.
I have used it only twice, in a 21-km distance each, and I’ll keep you posted if I learned more from it.
Happy running!
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